The Representational Codes - Pretty Little Liars

Personalities 

The show has 4 main characters Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Aria. All the girls have a stereotypical personality, Spencer is the nerd/brainiac, Hanna is the girly girl, Emily is sporty/ a tomboy and Aria is the whimsical, poetry and literature lover. Each of they girls represent a typical slant on life and this helps for people to connect with them as they gravitate towards one of them and who they see themselves as. Furthermore from the picture above you can see that all the girls are physically attractive in some way, which for some viewers may make it hard for them to relate but for the majority of girls the show makes a particular effort to display that yes these girls are attractive but you should be happy no mater what you look like. As long as you are happy with yourself that all that matters, you should never make yourself look a particular way just because someone else tells you that you should. For example in season 5 Hanna experiences a real dilemma in her identity. Everything that she had done to make her self look a certain way was because of what Mona did to make her take Ali's place (losing weight by bulimia, dying her hair and styling it a certain way and the clothes she wore) In the end she had just reached her braking point and dyed her hair with black highlights to show that she was an independent woman who did not need others approval, also to prove to her self that she knew who she is  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C0QZ8xQDag

Gender Roles 

Throughout the show the girls are the ones who take charge of the situations. Even though they are scared in some circumstances they fight through the fear. The boys are more just support, they provide comfort when needed and also they are the muscle. In some places they also help to identify where the plan is weak so the girls can make it stronger.  This is quite different to how traditionally society is with the typical prince saves the princess. In the case of Pretty Little Liars the girls are definitely in control, well as much as they can be well "A" is still around. We see this in season 5, when Hanna is determined to clean out and move the room that A is using to frame Hanna. The viewers see Caleb as a logical person in the first sense trying to bring sense to Hanna. Then we see him as the muscle and furthermore the support when the cops show up and back at Caleb's apartment when Hanna is panicking about the cops.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYJ7EpTbfFc

Relationships 

In pretty Little Liars divorce is represented as normal and almost as that's what you should expect. Three out of the four girls parents are either divorced or separated. Another way that relationships are represented is through Emily and as you discover that Emily is a lesbian. The first person to find out is Hanna in S01E06 "There's no place like Homecoming" and the other girls find out in S01E09 "The perfect storm". She has realised who she is and at the beginning when this was revealed to the audience it was very uncomfortable and that feeling was given to them by the reactions of the actors and even though the girls said that they accepted her they still had to adjust to her new lifestyle as the audience did. Now further down in the seasons Emily being gay has no real effect it has become “normal” (S02E18) and that is the same as in today's society. The girls are very casual about Emily and her partners. The fact that the girls are so comfortable with Emily had her lifestyle suggest that we also should be accepting about other gay couple in your community. Years ago homosexuals were all “in the closet” but now as people have come to accept it, living a gay lifestyle is “normal” and there is nothing unusual about it and it is because of shows like this that shows people how to accept and not judge.

Ethics & Values
This whole show is base on a lie, a lie that has created more and more lies. All of the lies have all been twisted together and hidden away. The title of the show makes people perceive lying as a thing that's not that big of a deal or socially acceptable, its doesn't matter if you tell a few white lies. But that not true, one lie can lead to a huge mess which is what is shown in the TV show. This show can blur the line between what is allowed to be lied about and what is unacceptable. But because it is not just one set rule for everyone it can be confusing for viewers. For example in S03E03 "Kingdom of the Blind" Aria's mum Ella is a teacher at the High School they attend and we see that Ella cheats on Emily's behalf by writing in the correct answers, she lying about what Emily really got. Then we see Aria begin a relationship with one of her teachers which is appalling to Ella because of the decite and how Aria went behind her parents backs to date this man. Yes these to examples are different but are they really. Both of them are doing the wrong thing and are lying about it. This is when it blurs the lines between what lies are okay and what lie's are not okay.

Pressure 

The social pressure and expectation to go off to college in the resent seasons is put on to the students by the parents of the students. The pressure to get into the best school with the best name is huge especially for spencer who comes from a family of overachievers. The social pressure comes from the other students as well to either get scholarships or try to find ways to pay for it without showing that you can not afford it is a big deal for the girls, as they do not want to embarrass their parents and expose them for their  finical position.. It also makes it easily relateble  for the viewers as most of them are going through these same pressures, have been through this struggle or are soon about to be entering into this period of time. Another view that is explored in the show is the thought of not actually going to college. This idea is introduced by a new character who is renting Spencer's barn house Johnny, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzfKMNyQXn4 

Authority 

Throughout the show the police play a huge part, from when Ali went missing to the murders. In nearly every situation the girls have got around the police and the punishments because of Victoria, Spencer’s mum who is a very well respected lawyer. In S02E14 Victoria  got them off with only doing community service for tampering with evidence, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhPLlCow6pM . This is not a true representation on how society works. People are not above the law just because who their parents are.  Also police have prove to be untrustworthy throughout the show which suggests that you have to question whether to respect or trust a police officer/ detective. This creates confusion because all your life you are taught that police are not "bad" they are their to help and bring justice but when they are being unjust full its a dilemma. This is not a true representation of real life and  how society works, youth these days know that this is not reality. Another way that authority is not represented the way it is in reality is by the girls parents. They do not really have any idea what they are doing, the girls will be gone for nights at a time and no questions will be asked. 

Sound 

There is a balanced mixed between diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The background music with the sound of people talking and the general noise in the background creates diversity and shows how to work everyday life into and exaggerated TV show. The very identifiable tune that every episode opens with, connects so well with the plot but also has a level of creepiness and beauty. Examples of diegetic sound is the school bell, the banter in the background and the creaks of the rocks under the bike tires 

Mise-en-scene 
The shots are very familiar and views that people see everyday e.g schools. The bedrooms of the girls create a very distinctive sense of each of the girls personalities and shows a true sense of what that character is about. Because of the miss-en-scene created it also makes it relatable for teens that are watching. The girls have "normal" rooms like "normal" teens even though they are not "normal" teens. Another way that the show creates mise-en-scene is how the producers add very tiny hints that viewers can piece together to try and figure out who "A" is, they can be from writing on a black board to how in the opening of every show Aria is the one how does the "shh" people can create many theories from that, Ezra was truly A all along or that Ezra and Aria have been working together. Anything can be drawn from the clues given.  

Opening Sequences

What is the purpose of the opening sequence?

- The purpose of an opening sequence is to establish the characters and to introduce the viewers to the theme of the movie/ TV series and also gives insight to the plot. The opening sequence is when the audience first gets transported into the world of the movie/TV and it is when they shift their mind set into the movie/TV. By watching the opening scene, the audience has a taste of whats to come for the duration of the rest of the movies/TV show. 

What is the difference between opening credits and title sequence?

- The opening credits and the title sequence is commonly confused with each other but the difference between them is that title sequence is a technique that movies and TV shows used to display the title of the movie, the cast members and the key production companies. This is all displayed and combined with sound and graphics that portray the mood the movie/TV show is trying to create. Where the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are usually on a static image but sometimes are on an action shot from the movie/ TV show. Music may or may not be playing dependent on the particular movie/TV show.

What techniques can be employed in an opening sequence? 

 - In an opening sequence the produces use a range of techniques that make the opening of the movies/TV series what they are. Traditionally movies started in the beginning and worked chronologically throughout the movie/TV series. But in this modern time movie makers like to mix it up by starting at the end and working back or in the middle and then jumping to the beginning. By using this style it creates diversity between movies and can create confusion within the audience which the movie makers can then correct and bring clarity to. Sound is also a major factor when it comes to the openings, from diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound. Non-diegetic sounds is especially uses in Television series as they most likely have a particular tune that makes them easily identifiable. This put emphases on the feeling and mood that the movie/TV series are trying to achieve and enhances the genre that they are in. Some examples are diegetic sounds would be if an helicopter flew by or a cellphone ringing in the pocket of a character. Furthermore editing is a huge part in what creates the opening sequence but it really depends on the movie and what they want to portray. There are many ways to edit the opening, one is by long drawn out shots or the opposite of jump cuts that create feeling of confusion or actions. 

When it comes to camera shots there are many techniques that producers can use. The shots strongly sets the feeling for the rest of the movie. For example produces can use shots like close ups and extreme close ups if they want to build anticipation, also it leaves the viewers to draw their own conclusions and gets them thinking about what is to come. In the movie The Conjuring (2013) by James wan, there is an extreme close up of an eye which becomes a figure throughout the movie and into its own movie that was released in 2014. Or in the Fault in our stars (2014) by Josh Boone with that extreme close up of the character (Hazel's) eyes. Another way is if there is a shot that sets the sense and reveal to the audience the setting and the time, but also the period of time that the scene is set for example in the movie Titanic (1997) it was based on the era of 1912 and to set that tone of that time the opening is colour graded in a sepia colours with pans of people waving the Titanic off.  Other techniques that produces use to set the scene is by wide shots/ birds eye view over a city to establish the country they are in and also time-lapse can be very effective because they give the viewers a background into the narrative of the movies/ TV series.